India: Pig problem on airport runways

An Indian pilot intending to land at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport quickly aborted the sequence. He spotted a pig on the runway.

While after a go-around and landing 25 minutes later, the incident highlights a growing problem for airport, the burgeoning wild pig population.

And that’s not all. As air operator Mihan India Limited (MIL), is officially denying the incident having taken place, anonymous officials are saying the problem is not restricted to rampant pigs: stray dogs and peacocks (India’s official bird) are growing bolder as well, being sighted near operational areas and other airport premises.

Teams of trappers have been employed, deployed twice weekly to clear the airport of its lower fauna. Other deterrents have used as well, zone guns and firecrackers.

But, it appears, to little effect.

The airport now plans to put up a solar fence to check animal intrusions. The fence administers a shock to scare the animal, be it pig, dog, peacock, or monkey. A shock will trigger an alarm, notifying the guards to help capture the animal.